Using a third-party JAX-WS web services engine

In certain situations you might need to set up a third-party JAX-WS web services engine. For example, you must set up a third-party JAX-WS web services engine if you need to deploy applications that use a single run time across various application servers such as WebSphere® Application Server, JBoss, and WebLogic, or if you want to build JAX-WS web services applications using third party JAX-WS run time such as CXF, Axis2, and Metro.

Before you begin

Use of a third-party JAX-WS run time has limitations. It also requires mandatory configuration changes, and in some cases, it requires manual intervention to resolves issues that occur during deployment and when you run the application. These limitations and issues vary based on the third-party JAX-WS run time you decide to use. You should understand the limitations for the third-party JAX-WS run time you are preparing to use before you configure your system to use that implementation.

The following limitations exist regardless of which third-party JAX-WS implementation you use:
  • The WebSphere Application Server run time restricts usage of application modules that use both the JAX-WS implementation provided with WebSphere Application Server, and an external JAX-WS implementation in the same application EAR file. You must use either the JAX-WS implementation provided with WebSphere Application Server or the external implementation in a single application EAR file. This limitation ensures that the run time WebSphere Application Server does not conflict with the external third-party JAX-WS implementation.
  • You must remove any conflicting JAR files from your application library before you deploy an application that uses an external JAX-WS implementation. Most of the external third-party JAX-WS run times include some JAR file libraries that are already installed on WebSphere Application Server. This situation causes conflicts in your application library.
  • After an application that uses a third-party JAX-WS run time is deployed on WebSphere Application Server, it is not recognized as a service client or provider. Therefore, you cannot attach application level policy sets to these applications. You must rely on external run times support quality of service. Following is a list of WebSphere Application Server features that are not available if you decide to deploy and run application that uses third-party JAX-WS implementations:
    • WS-Security, WS-RM, and WS-Transactions policy sets
    • WSDM
    • JNDI lookup to retrieve JAX-WS Service or Port Instance.
Avoid trouble: Even though IBM supports the enablement of third party JAX-WS run times to run on WebSphere Application Server, and ensures the successful deployment of applications that use such run times, IBM does not provide support for resolving JAR file conflict problems, or any problem that a stack trace indicates is in the third party code.

About this task

When you deploy an application EAR file with a third-party JAX-WS implementation on WebSphere Application Server, the WebSphere Application Server run time must ensure the use of the third-party engine, and disable the use of the existing WebSphere Application Server JAX-WS web services engine.

WebSphere Application Server does not claim support for any of the third-party JAX-WS run times, but has tested the deployment and execution of applications that use such runtimes.

You must complete the following steps before you can use an external JAX-WS run time in an application.

Procedure

  1. Set the class loader policy to Classes loaded with local class loader first (parent last) at the module level.

    Changing the class loader policy to parent last ensures that the external third-party JAX-WS run time and their dependent library JAR files are first in the class loader search path, thereby ensuring that the third-party implementation is used instead of the WebSphere Application Server.

    1. In the administrative console, click Applications > Application Types > WebSphere enterprise applications > application_name > Manage modules>webmodule_name.
    2. Select Classes loaded with local class loader first (parent last) from the drop down list.
    3. Click OK, and then Save to save your changes.
  2. Turn off web services annotation scanning.

    Annotation scanning can be turned off at the application level or at the server level.

    To turn off annotation scanning at the application level, set the DisableIBMJAXWSEngine property in the META-INF/MANIFEST.MF of a WAR file or EJB module to true. Example: 
    Manifest-Version: 1.0
DisableIBMJAXWSEngine: true

    To turn off web services annotation scanning at the server level:

    1. In the administrative console, go to the Custom properties page for the Java virtual machine.

      [AIX Solaris HP-UX Linux Windows]Servers > Server Types > WebSphere application servers > server_name, and then, under Server Infrastructure, click Java and process management > Process definition > Java virtual machine > Custom properties

    2. Set the com.ibm.websphere.webservices.DisableIBMJAXWSEngine property to true

      If this property does not already exist for your configuration, click New, and add com.ibm.websphere.webservices.DisableIBMJAXWSEngine in the Name field and true in the Value field.

Results

What to do next

  • Deploy and run an application EAR file with a third-party JAX-WS implementation on WebSphere Application Server.